While it's not a new phenomenon in our household to observe Nicole's deep love of people, it is relatively new for us to see just how intentional she is about involving others in her day. She frequently says things to me like, "should we make a smoothie?", "should we go to Aldi?", "should we both have a pony tail?", "should we cook something together? And wear our aprons?", "Should we vacuum together?", "should we read some books?", "Should we take a walk with Addy and Miss Stacey?" There is pretty much no end to the sweet and often spontaneous, "should we" phrases that come out of Nicole's sincere desire to live life together. Her "should we" phrases for Shawn are unique to the things the two of them do together like, "should we get our guitars?" or "should we play monkey on your back together?"
I have also observed a profound intentionality involving her friends in her play. "Should we jump together, Addy?" "Do you want to go round and round together, Addy?" Do you want to play hopscotch together, Addy?" The sweetest part of all, is that she just keeps listing activities until the person she is inviting accepts one. It's really not about the chosen activity the vast majority of the time, it truly is about having someone to share an activity with.
I was the kind of kid who loved to play alone. I fully expected to have a child who followed in my footsteps and found all of the private corners of the house to play in. Instead, I have a child who plays the longest and deepest when she can be around us in the common spaces of our home. Nicole's God-given desire to be around others has given me a deep sense of peace about how she is going to handle having a new baby in the house. I know that Nicole loves to build relationships which is going to make her the most enthusiastic member of her baby brothers fan club. While I certainly expect to embark on a season of adjustment, I know that as long as Shawn and I involve Nicole in as many baby-related tasks as possible, she will be more than fine.
I hope you're having a great week!
Love,
Erica
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